Patient satisfaction with emergency departments

Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of quality of care and service delivery. The objective of this study was to examine patients’ satisfaction with the emergency departments in hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. A study was carried out in the emergency departments of five major teaching hospitals (affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences) in Tehran, Iran by trained researchers using a valid and reliable questionnaire. The study included patients who had spent at least 10 hours in the emergency department, who were able to answer the questions without the need for an interpreter, did not have significant cognitive problems, and were well enough to answer the questions. The study questionnaire comprised five sections namely: nursing care, physician care, behavioral concerns, physical comfort and hoteling, and waiting time. The questionnaire was administered in secure and confidential conditions inside the emergency department and in the absence of the hospitals’ medical and non-medical staff. Data were analyzed descriptively using SPSS 13. In all 153 patients were eternal into the study. After dichotomizing the state of satisfaction in each of the five dimensions, the highest dissatisfaction rates were observed in the following domains: nurses’ explanation to patients (73.2%), giving information (54.2%), investigating complaints (40.6%), patient welfare facilities (54.3%), and being kept waiting to receive laboratory services (26.2%) respectively. Only 44% of the patients rated their general satisfaction with the hospital as good or very good. The findings indicate the need for measures to improve services for patients visiting the emergency department and to ensure quality of service.